Jade Wolf
by JadeTheWolf14
Summary: Hi there. This is the first story I have written and the first of a series I will probably make. It follows the story of my fan character. Other fan characters, Diana the hedgehog and Flicker the wolf-fox will also be included And of course, Sonic and Co. will also be included. Please remember to leave a review with comments and suggestions. Thanks again! Enjoy:)
1. Chapter 1

Jade Wolf

Chapter 1: A Nightmare Remembered

The young 14-year-old wolf laid on her back, catching snatches of the bright blue noon sky through the tree's gently curved branches. Her blue jacket was unzipped, revealing a t-shirt two shades darker that the tree's leaves. The sun was warm, but not so much that just standing in the shade was unbearably hot. A soft breeze stirred the leaves. This day was beautiful, but it wasn't enough to erase the memories of what had happened not very long ago in a place that was better forgotten. Jade sighed and carefully rolled over to avoid falling off the branch she laid on. Down below, the brown wolf's best –and probably only- friend, 13-year-old Flicker the wolf-fox, was fast asleep, curled on a patch of bight green grass. Her orange fur waved slightly in the breeze, like the flickering of small flames. Jade loved her friend dearly like a sister, but life was hard for them…especially now.

They had been living in a small cave in this forest for about 37 days. Both friends carried packs with a limited amount of clothing and food, as well as a little bit of water. Jade and Flicker knew they would soon run out of supplies, but neither brought it up. For now, their only priority was to survive and stay hidden. They didn't have the courage to set foot in the city yet, anyways.

The warm breeze, the sun on her face, calmed Jade. She closed her emerald eyes, feeling relax. Before she knew it, she fell asleep and sank deep into what could be a peaceful sleep or nightmare remembered.

_Jade stared in confusion as her parents disappeared behind a huge rolling cloud of gray dust. The little 5-year-old didn't really know what had happen. Suddenly she started as someone spoke behind her._

"_Don't worry about them. They are quite safe." A tall bald man with an oddly round body and thin legs towered over the wolf. He wore a red shirt, and black pants and shoes. Jade, although young, was wary. She sensed bad vibes from this man. The man, noticing this on Jade's face, smiled a bit. "If you help me, I'll help you find them," he said. _

"_You will?" asked Jade, relaxing a bit. The man nodded. Jade decided to trust the man. A mistake she would regret. When they had reached the man's ship, Dr. Eggman as Jade learned to call him, introduce Jade to another young one he had picked up._

"_Jade, I would like you to meet Flicker. She is going to be your partner in helping me." Flicker, 4 at the time, accepted Jade into her life. As the years went by, Jade and Flicker grew up and the memory of Jade's parents was push back in her mind, not really forgotten but at the same time not really there. Jade learned from the beginning that Flicker's parents had abandoned her, so she really didn't know or remember much of them. Dr. Eggman kept them busy, having them build him robots and other pieces of technology. Often, hardly any sleep was allowed during big projects and about 90% of the time they were. He had learned right from the start that the wolf and the wolf-fox were smart and learned quickly. A day when Dr. Eggman said they were going to release the robots to "test them out". The girls set up everything to release the robots, when, suddenly, Jade found herself in the past. It was the only way to describe it. Jade saw Dr. Eggman on the day she had first met the doctor, after she had gone to bed that first night. He was conversing with on of his robot helpers._

"_I'm glad we found the right people to help us continue the project. They may be young but they will learn to obey me. They seem smart. I will teach them to build some of the best robots. That pathetic wolf pup doesn't even know her parents are long gone by now."_

"_What do you plan to do about that Doc? Will you tell her?" asked the robot._

"_No, I won't tell her. It's best if she doesn't know and keeps believing her family is still alive. I will use these two to conquer the world with their inventions."_

"_But how will you keep them from figuring out it's a trap?"_

"_Hmm…I know!" exclaimed Dr. Eggman after a while." I will simply tell them that they are to build me some new pieces of technology to see how skilled they are and that I will "test them out" to see if there are faults. Chances are that if I train them, the robots won't have any faults and then I can finally start planning my empire!" The doctor's excitement grew with each word, but there was one thing he had left out._

"_Sir, what about Sonic?" the robot asked._

"_We'll figure that out later."_

_The flashback ended. Only Jade realized that she had been in Eggman's mind since she herself had never heard this conversation. This was how she discovered she had the power of telepathy. Jade found herself back in the control room, with Flicker about to press the button that would bring doom to the waiting planet below._

"_**Don't touch that**__!" shouted Jade so loud, Flicker jumped._

"_But we are suppose to release these robots to see if they work." Flicker reached out to press the button. Jade knock her hand away._

"_Listen to me. All we have been taught to be the truth is a __**lie!**__" Jade carefully explained to a confused Flicker what she had seen. Flicker listened. She trusted Jade with her life and didn't see a reason for Jade to lie. What would she have gained anyway? The two girls turned to the lifeless legion of robots that stood silently waiting for the command to attack._

"_We have to destroy them. It's the only way to prevent the planet from being obliterated." Jade nodded and they went to work, dismantling each one of the 50 robots. They had just finished the last one when Dr. Eggman came in. _


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Sonic

As Jade slept and retraced those past steps, she began to toss and turn a little. '_No.' _she thought. '_Not this again.'_ But, of course, there was nothing she could do except watch and wait.

_Eggman stopped dead when he saw the piles of scrap metal surrounding the only ones who could have done it._

"_**What have you done!**__?" he thundered angrily, quickening his steps._

"_We're the ones who should be asking __**you**__ that question, __**doctor," **__Jade snarled with sudden anger. _

"_**Traitors!**__" He started forward._

"_**Liar!**__" hissed Flicker. Eggman look confused, scared even. How had they figured __**that**__ out? _

"_I don't know what you're talking about," he said carefully._

"_Yes you do!" Jade stepped forward. "You've been using us! You…You killed my parents!" Desperation made Jade's chest tighten. Eggman looked terrified now. There was __**no way **__she could have possibly known that. Unless…_

'_I know it was you.' Eggman heard Jade's voice in his head. He should have known. He did, after all, alter the two girls when they were kids, making them stronger and faster than their normal selves had been. However, Eggman couldn't have predicted the wave of entirely new powers the girls would develop. Eggman knew he had to do something before the duo hurt him. He quickly pressed a button on a remote hidden in his pocket for times like these. Now all he had to do was distract them._

"_You dare defy me? I raised you, watched you grow up, and trained you to be the best of the best." _

"_Maybe so, but you didn't care at all," Jade said, finding her voice. Neither girl heard the robot come from behind, until it already had them in its metal hands. The more they struggled, the tighter the grip got, slowly cutting off their oxygen. Finally, a breathless Jade gave up, panting._

"_Ohohohohoho! Did you really think you could get away with this?" Eggman hissed. "You might have destroyed all the robots __**you**__ built, but no matter. There's more where those came from." He turned to the controls, punched a few buttons and turned back to Flicker and Jade, grinning like a madman. He is one. Jade felt a sudden rush of energy from the anger. It grew until she couldn't contain it any longer. A sudden slight heat made her look down. A strange green smoke-like substance appeared to outline her gloved hands, glowing softly. She looked up. Eggman was once again busied with the controls. Jade looked over to her younger friend._

"_Psst! Hey!" Jade whispered as loudly as she dared. Flicker looked over. Her eyes widened as she noticed the green glow._

'_What is that?' she mouthed the words._

'_I don't know' Jade mouthed back. She suddenly had an idea. She mustered as much anger as she could (and it wasn't hard for she had much to be angry about). The glow increased slightly and the green smoke/fire traveled a little up her arm. It didn't hurt her, but it did seem to be melting the metal. She increased the power and in seconds managed to create an opening wide enough for her to slip through. Jade landed softly in a crouching position, feeling slightly drained. Then she proceeded to free Flicker. Eggman turned to find a gray pile of liquid metal, before a nearby wall exploded inward and a blue blur zoomed in._

Jade awoke with such a start she almost fell out of the tree. She managed to grab hold of the branch. After swinging for a few seconds to lock in on her landing place, Jade dropped and landed beside her friend, who woke up screaming.

"**No leave us alone!**" Jade grabbed a hold of her friend's shoulders and shook her gently.

"Wake up," Jade said softly and let go of Flicker's shoulders once she had stopped flailing around. Flicker leaned against the tree.

"I had the worst dream ever. I dreamed we were back with Eggman and... and…" Flicker swallowed hard. She had the eyes of a hunted creature

"Yeah, I know." Jade smiled at Flicker, trying to make her relax.

"You had the same dream?" Jade nodded. After a moment's silence, the brown wolf stood up.

"We can't stay here," she said. "We have to go into the city sooner or later. We can't hide from life like this." The emerald green eyes were alive with green light. Flicker nodded. Jade offered her a hand and hauled her to her feet. They walked in the direction of the city without looking back.

After several hours of walking, the two friends reach a hilltop that overlooked Central City. At first they hesitated a bit, but eventually gained confidence and started to walk down the hill. Their clothes weren't in bad shape. Jade had tan pants, black fingerless gloves, a blue jacket, a green tee, and green and white sneakers. Flicker wore tan shorts, a blue tee, a gray sweater, red gloves, a blue cap, and yellow and white sneakers. To anyone that gave them a quick glance, they looked like a pair of friends returning from a long camping trip. But to those that got a really good look at them, they would notice the deep, thoughtfulness that had taken possession of their eyes and the small scratches caused from sleeping occasionally in trees. Despite that, they walked with their heads high and their backs straight. Somehow, they managed to find some $80 each after digging in their packs.

"It's not a whole lot of money but I think its enough for a few days, until we find a place to stay," Jade said, counting the money. As they rounded a corner, they froze when they heard a too familiar voice.

"Eggman!" they both hissed with anger. Suddenly a new voice was heard.

"You just never give up, do you?" The voice expressed a cocky attitude and an adventurous spirit. Its owner, a blue hedgehog, stood boldly in front of the Egg Mobile.

"Sonic!" Eggman growled and made a grab for the blue hedgehog. The hedgehog raced away in a blue blur.

"So…that's the blue blur from my dream," breathed Jade loud enough for only Flicker to hear as they watched this dangerous game of tag between Sonic and Eggman. Suddenly, they realized there was a robot, not one they built, standing behind them. Armed. Thinking fast, Jade shoved Flicker. She rolled on the asphalt. Jade turned to the robot. It raised its gun. Jade had only seconds to react, but that was more than enough time. She darted to the left as the robot fired. The bullets left pockmarks in the ground. Jade turned and kicked the robot down. She raced to an astonished-looking Flicker's side.

Jade hauled Flicker to her feet. A sudden explosion made both friends look. The blue hedgehog, Sonic, was standing over the robot, now destroyed, its gears all over the street. His vivid green eyes shone with curiosity as he turned to the girls. Eggman was long gone now. He didn't accept defeat, but he never stayed long enough to find out what were the consequences for loosing.

"You ok?" he asked, walking towards them.

"Yeah," Flicker approached cautiously. After all they've been through, they didn't know who to trust. Sonic, sensing their discomfort, smiled openly.

"You're not from around here are you? Do you have a place to stay?" Flicker's white-tipped tail swished nervously and Jade averted her gaze.

"That's ok. You can live with Tails and me for awhile. By the way, I'm Sonic, Sonic the hedgehog!" Sonic's voice was full of pride. For the first time in years, Jade and Flicker smiled at someone that wasn't each other. They couldn't help it. There was something about Sonic that made them feel relaxed and in the presence of another friend. Maybe it was his playful and daring personality or the fact he, too, was against Dr. Eggman or perhaps it was that he was friendly and kind. Whatever the reason, the friends knew they could trust the blue speedster.

"I'm Jade and this is Flicker." Jade pointed to herself and nodded at Flicker. Flicker smiled back at Sonic.

"Come on. The sun's setting and I want you to meet the others." The trio set out across the city.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Dr. Eggman's Discovery

After being defeated by Sonic once again, Dr. Eggman retreated to his secret not-so-secret base. It hadn't been the first time, but he still couldn't get over how the pesky blue hedgehog always seemed to mock him and just _mess _with him. He still couldn't get over how Jade and Flicker had found out the truth, either. They were much smarter than he predicted. Since they had run away, Dr. Eggman had spent a whole month studying his grandfather's journal. So far he hadn't found anything of interest. Now as he sat to examine it, not expecting anything, he discovered a small note just after some notes on Shadow, whom Dr. Eggman's grandfather created.

_*Project Shadow was a success. The organism was created and his health is stable. This experiment will be repeated to see if we have the same success.*_

'What's this?' Eggman thought to himself. Was the experiment repeated? Did it work a second time? What would Shadow's biological sibling be like? Would he or she have the same powers as Shadow himself? Would they be different? _How could he __**use**__ this new weapon? _All of these questions circled around in his head. His thoughts were racing at 1000 miles per hour.

Suddenly for some reason, Jade and Flicker invaded his thoughts. They were powerful, with abilities they didn't know they had. Dr. Eggman's mind traveled back a few steps to the past. Jade and Flicker had been obedient kids. Smart, too. He had recognized this in them the minute he saw them. After he had taken them in, he soon learned Jade could be fierce, if angered. Flicker was a lot calmer but could still get just as dangerous, which is why he was awfully glad they hadn't found out he'd been messing with Jade's DNA. If not, they would have probably killed him. But, that's the truth. He _had_ been messing with her DNA. During a fight against Sonic and Tails, Dr. Eggman had managed to obtain a few strands of Sonic's fur; without them noticing, of course. He had studied them down to the cells and wanted to find out if he could take some of that DNA, insert it into a new organism and see if they received some of Sonic's abilities. When Jade and Flicker came along, he took the opportunity to test the theory out. Dr. Eggman hadn't _lied_; he had only told them _half_ the truth. He had needed someone to help him with his scheme. After he had implanted Sonic's DNA in Jade, he noticed she had obtained his super speed. That's as far as the physical transformation went, but Eggman had been extremely pleased. However he hadn't been thinking straight and realized he had made Jade a little more like Sonic than he would have wished. Brother and sister, basically, without changing their species.

'Those were things of the past.' he thought, reclining back in his chair. 'Now all I have to do is find Shadow's sibling.' He decided to look more into detail on this other project. After 2 hours of more looking, some rereading and plenty of frustration, he finally found the name of the project.

"So it's 'Project Diana'?" he muttered to himself. After reading a small description, his eyes lit up with thoughts of revenge.

"Yess," he hissed. "This is what I'm looking for."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Good Friend, or Total Enemy?

Jade, Sonic and Flicker spent about 30 minutes walking to the other side of the city to meet up with Tails. While walking, Sonic talked about how he met Tails and all they've done together.

"Wow… You guys seem like real good friends," Jade observed.

"Friends? More like _**brothers**_," Sonic responded. The blue hedgehog was a fast walker, but Jade and Flicker could keep up with him just fine.

Neither Jade nor Flicker knew if they wanted to tell him about their days in the forest and even before that. Maybe later. As they neared the area, Sonic turned to the friends.

"Okay, listen. You're not just going to meet Tails. You're also going to meet another two of my friends; Shadow and Silver. I know Silver will accept you right away, but Shadow….well….Let's just say he's a little mistrustful."

"Oh…Okay," Flicker responded. She gave Jade a quick glance. The wolf's eyes were dark. Neither liked being labeled as people that couldn't be trusted, but there was nothing they could do. Besides, they knew what it was like to trust someone…only to get deceived.

"Don't worry. We won't take it personally," Jade reassured Sonic. He gave her a grateful smile. They kept walking for about 3 yards. A sudden cheery voice was soon heard.

"Sonic!" The trio turned to see a young fox flying towards them. His twin tails sliced through the air and became distinctive as he landed neatly in front of them. He was closely followed by two other hedgehogs, quite similar to Sonic but at the same time very different. One was a whitish, silvery color with bright golden eyes and a tan muzzle, much like Sonic's. The other, fur black as night, with red streaks and eyes to match. The silver one was more calm and cool.

"Hey Tails, Silver, Shadow," Sonic greeted his friends in turn. Shadow eyed the two girls. Silver and Tails looked more curious then suspicious. "This is Jade and Flicker."

"Nice to meet you," chorused Silver and Tails. Shadow said nothing. His hard gaze x-rayed the friends. Jade returned the glare with cold calmness. Flicker swished her tail nervously.

"Don't worry Shadow. I'm pretty sure they aren't planning on blowing up anything." Sonic grinned.

"Hmph. Whatever faker." He crossed his arms. As Jade studied him closer, she couldn't help wondering, is he a friend or a foe?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Tracking and Training Day

Jade yawned and stretched. It was still early; the morning was still a soft midnight blue. It had been two, almost three, weeks since Sonic and Tails had taken Flicker and her in and Shadow was warming up towards them, very slowly, but steadily. Come to think of it, he wasn't such a bad guy himself once you've spent some time around him. He had a kind of quiet toughness that contrasted sharply with Sonic's impulsive spirit. Silver was more insecure, but he always tried to help in whatever he could. Shadow didn't talk much whereas Sonic could talk all day. Silver was more or less in between.

Jade smiled to herself as she thought of how different each of the guys were, yet how they used this to work together. She guessed it was around 6 in the morning. _Well it's likely no one else is awake, _she thought. Jade got out of bed anyways and showered. After getting dressed, Jade decided that she still wasn't hungry enough to eat, so she went outside to watch the sunrise.

Sonic's house was on the outskirts of the city. The other houses were still close together, but there was more open space and much more nature like the big green field dotted yellow, purple, and blue with flowers that surrounded the house on three sides. Out back was the beginning of a forest. In the distance was a bright slip of orange. Jade put her elbows on the rail. Everything was peace and quiet. A light breeze made the tall grass waved back and forth. Birdsong filled the cool air.

"Nice view, huh?" She jumped and turned to see Shadow standing there. His arms were folded. The white of his gloves chest fur, and shoes stood out sharply in the blue morning. His gold rings glinted around his ankles and wrists. His crimson eyes glowed like live coals.

"Shadow! Don't sneak up on me like that!" Jade yelped. Shadow only smirked. Jade glared at him then turned back to the sunrise.

"So," she asked him, "Where did you sleep last night? I don't remember you putting dibs on any of the bedrooms."

"I slept outside."

"Where? On the roof?" Shadow nodded.

"It's not a bad place to sleep, you know," he said with a sideways look.

"I suppose not. Never tried it, so I wouldn't know." _It can't be too different from_ _sleeping in trees_, Jade thought. Shadow joined her at the rail to watch the sunrise. Neither said a word. It didn't take long before the two were rewarded with a magnificent gold and red view. The shadows retreated before the sun's fiery glory, going back to whatever dark realm they dwelled in until night fell once more. Once the sun had illuminated enough of the area, Shadow looked at Jade.

"We should go inside. They're probably waking up now." Jade nodded at followed the hedgehog back into the house. Sure enough, the sleeping form of Silver sprawled on the couch began to stir. He sat up and stretched.

"Hey guys," he greeted when he noticed Jade and Shadow.

"Hi Silver." Jade returned the greeting. The darker hedgehog only nodded. Sonic came out of his room looking like he'd had a fight with the bed sheets. His blue quills were sticking out everywhere and his green eyes looked half-asleep. He mumbled 'good morning' and yawned widely. Tails and Flicker came in, looking lively, like always. After cooking up some waffles, the friends sat down to eat. By now, Sonic was awake enough to inhale his food almost as fast as he could run. Even though this was not the first time Jade had experienced this, she always wondered exactly _where_ he put all that food. Then again, he probably burned about six thousand calories by just being Sonic. The hedgehogs had promised to train them, even though they had already received some training when they lived with Dr. Eggman. The guys didn't know this as Jade hadn't told them because she didn't feel ready to come out with the truth, so, for now, Jade's and Flicker's whereabouts before coming to Sonic's house were unknown. As for training day, Shadow was paired up with Jade, as their abilities were on par. As for Flicker, not even Jade knew what her ability was. Sonic and Silver were trying to unlock it.

After breakfast, Shadow and Jade set out to the forest behind the house, while Sonic, Silver, and Flicker took over the field. They arrived in a small clearing near the middle part of the woods. The morning sun filtered through the leaves of the surrounding trees. It was a nice spot, both for spending time and for training.

"I hope you remember what I taught you before." Jade felt slightly insulted. _Of course_ she hadn't forgotten. She wasn't the type to forget easily. Besides, her _life _depended on these skills.

"No, I didn't forget."

"Show me then." Jade huffed in annoyance, but you just didn't argue with Shadow. It could become dangerous at times. She summoned her power. It appeared in a flickering green fire-like aura. Shadow's eyes glinted, like they always did before a fight.

"Chaos spear!" Jade leaped back and landed lightly. The spear hit the earth where she had been standing. Jade countered with her own attack.

A green energy blade shot towards Shadow. Only he wasn't there. Using Chaos control, he appeared behind Jade. She spun and ducked under his swing. She returned the punch. He Chaos controlled again, this time appearing several feet in front of Jade. The wolf leaped back to avoid the volley of Chaos spears. The fight went on for about 10 minutes. Shadow had chosen the spot well. The two fighters needed the space to use their speed to dodge and attack. Shadow couldn't help but feel as if though he were fighting the slightly smaller girl version of Sonic, the way the wolf would use her speed more than her strength. The fight ended when Jade caught Shadow with an Energy Trap.

"Satisfied?" Jade asked after she had released him.

"There's room for improvement." The rest of that training session, Shadow began to teach Jade a few more fighting techniques and how to create distance between her and an enemy if there wasn't any. It was pretty simple. Training ended at noon.

"That's it for today," announced Shadow, glancing at the sun, directly overhead. Jade and Shadow made their way back to Sonic's house, in silence like always.

In a thicker part of the forest, someone was searching. He was kind of hard to miss though, as he was neither careful nor quiet, too absorbed in his hunt to care. Not to mention, the Egg Carrier, red coat, round body and orange mustaches were unmistakable. In one hand he held some sort of radar he must have built himself. _She has to be around her somewhere. After all if my grandfather's experiment's results were successful, she will be identical to that hedgehog, Shadow, _he thought. Indeed, Dr. Eggman had made this radar to measure the strangely high levels of Chaos energy, not as high as the emeralds themselves, but higher then most Mobians had in their systems. He had followed the radar's beeps to this area. They were more rapid then before. He was getting close. Soon he **would** have his revenge. Or so he thought.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Footprints

While Eggman was seeking a creature that would probably kill him on the spot, Jade, Flicker, Sonic, Silver and Shadow had the rest of the evening off and decided to go for a hike in the surrounding forest. The sun, with its heavier colors of amber, hot pink and orange, was going down. The dark took the opportunity and crept after the retreating sunlight, slowly gaining control of the world. The trees were tall dark giants, looming over the five figures standing in their presence. Jade and Flicker led the way, followed by Sonic and Silver. Shadow came last, lost in his own thoughts.

"Did you find your ability yet?" Jade asked her younger friend. Flicker shook her head.

"Not yet," she sighed sadly.

"Hey, don't worry! We'll find out!" Flicker smiled.

"Yeah I know. It's just…I _really_ want to know what it is." As the small group ventured further into the forest, they began to see signs of life preparing for the night. Flicker had gotten tired from walking on the ground, and was now swinging and leaping across tree branches with light, quick steps. Her fur was the color of burning flames.

"How was training?" she asked curiously.

"Not bad actually. Shadow just had me review some stuff and then taught me some fighting moves. I think I'm getting the hang of this 'power'." Jade answered, stepping around a raised tree root. She looked up and didn't spot Flicker.

"Hey! Where'd you go?"

"Over here!" called the wolf-fox. She was perched on a tree looking down at a dark mark on the light brown dirt. Jade walked over and kneeled. Flicker landed next to her. The chestnut wolf carefully examined the mark. It wasn't perfect, but you could tell it was a footprint.

"Who do you think it is?" Flicker asked, blue eyes gleaming.

"I don't know. It looks like this was made around one hour ago."

"Hey, what's going on?" asked Silver. Sonic was trying to peer over the girls' shoulders. Shadow looked up, immediately snapping to attention.

"It's a footprint," Jade answered. When she stood however, she noticed a whole set of tracks, leading deeper into the forest. "Make that a whole set of them." The group started to follow them. Sometimes, they disappeared and reappeared several feet away. Other times, they were so light, it was easy to lose them. By the time the friends had covered almost half a mile, the sky had turned a deep indigo, the sun had ducked under the distant hills and the moon had risen, but there was still enough light to make out the shape of the tracks. They stopped for a few minutes to rest.

"This is pretty stupid. We're chasing down someone we don't know anything about," Shadow muttered, breaking the long stretch of silence.

"We'll find out." Jade took a sip of water, before screwing the cap of her bottle back on. After a few more minutes, the band moved on. Night was really falling now. Jade was grateful for her jacket as cold winds made their way through the forest, pushing impatiently against obstacles and carrying away anything too light to withstand their fury. The hedgehogs didn't appear to mind the cold very much. It was becoming too dark to see the prints.

"I can't see anything," complained Sonic, squinting at the ground. Shadow suddenly tensed.

"Shut up!" he whisper-shouted at Sonic, who mumbled something under his breath. The black hedgehog turned his attention back to a clump of bushes several feet away. "Did you see that?" The others gathered behind trying to spot whatever it was he'd seen.

"I don't see anything," commented Flicker politely. A sudden movement at the edge of their vision made Shadow, Jade, Sonic, Silver and Flicker jerked their heads to the right simultaneously. Even though it was now dark, the moonlight didn't lie when it briefly illuminated a figure, much too fast for any of them to register exactly _what_ it was. It darted away, before they could do anything.

"This way!" called Silver pointing in the direction the shadow had gone. They began to run.

The pale silver curved shape of the crescent moon hung in the dark black sky, sprinkled with white stars. Dr. Eggman cursed silently as he stepped on a branch. It snapped and the sudden sound made ripples on the smooth surface of the concealing silence. He was moving on land now, as it had become difficult to navigate with the Egg Carrier around the trees. The radar's beeps were a little more frequent, but not much. Dr. Eggman began to wonder if he was following a false trail. But it couldn't be….could it? After all, he had built the radar to track only specific individuals.

Dr. Eggman paused for a bit to survey his surroundings. He guessed that it was well past eight or nine. The trees here grew closer then before. Not to mention, tree roots sometimes rose out of nowhere, making him trip and stumble. He had felt like giving up and coming back tomorrow more then once, but he always came to the conclusion that the prize would be worth the hard trip. He glanced at the radar's screen….and it was pretty much going crazy. The scientist grinned and set out as fast as the forest would allow him.

"It's fast!" Silver exclaimed. Not only was that, whoever it was that they were chasing, was clever. They would fool the group into believing they were catching up and then reappear yards away. Shadow was getting infuriated with this game. Jade could tell by the way he skated faster, and was soon at the head of the pack. She knew they were never going to catch the figure, unless they changed tactics. She let her mind wander free and tried to find an opening in Shadow's mind. It wasn't hard; his anger left his mind's borders unprotected.

'Shadow!' she shouted, mentally.

'**What**?' he snarled back.

'Jeez, you need to calm down.' There only came a swirl of annoyance.

'Shadow, we'll never catch up like this!'

'I suppose _you_ have a better idea,' he growled.

'As a matter of fact, I do. Two words: pincer movement.' There was a pause.

'If it goes wrong, it's on you,' he finally responded. She winced, but gave him a nod. The plan spread quickly to the others. Sonic and Shadow raced ahead on the sides, while Silver kept chasing from behind. Jade and Flicker took to the trees to ambush from above. The young friends were thankfully for those days isolated from civilization and learning to live and move in the forest. Often, they would catch Sonic or Shadow glancing up at them. Jade guessed they were watching in case one of them fell. The figure started slowing down a little, probably becoming confident that only one was giving chase.

Jade smiled to herself and got ready to tackle whoever that was to the ground. She swung herself down to the lower branches. Then she leaped at the shade. Apparently, he (or she) was prepared for something like that. The figure sidestepped so fast, Jade almost landed face first in the dirt.

"Jade!" Flicker shouted. The wolf glared at the figure. She could have sworn the figure had crimson eyes. _Just like Shadow._ Taking a closer look, she realized the figure was feminine, yet lean and strong. For one tense moment, they glare at each other. The girl gave her a do-you-really-think-you-can-beat-me-in-a-fight kind of look. She turned and ran. Then Flicker landed beside her friend.

"Jade? What's going on?" asked the wolf-fox nervously.

"Come on!" answered Jade as she ran after the girl.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Reencounter

They had arrived too late. The girls were gone. Sonic didn't like how things were coming along, especially with a _very_ pissed off Shadow involved. Silver was nervous around Shadow as well. Who could blame him? The dark hedgehog looked like he was ready to blow up or kill something. Neither objected when he picked up speed and left them behind. If anything, they had regained the ability to breathe easy again. Sonic's emerald eyes met Silver's golden gaze. They both hoped the girls were alright.

Shadow continued to skate through the forest. If there had been a speed limit, he probably would have broken it about five times. Even though he really didn't show it, he also cared for Jade and Flicker. He skidded to a stop next to a tall, ancient pine, and looked around. The night was still. Crickets raised their voices. The wind had stopped blowing. He wasn't sure in which direction he should go. _If only Jade and Flicker hadn't run off without telling anyone._

"Damn," he muttered into the darkness. Then he randomly picked a path, and skated off.

Dr. Eggman was _this_ close. The steady sound of the radar was the only thing guiding him through the black darkness, which was pierced here and there with needles of glittering, silver moonlight. The little dot on the radar's screen was blinking ever faster and… it appeared to be coming straight at _him_? He was much too absorbed by his work (and his useless effort to not trip over tree roots) to feel the sudden cold breeze or see the incoming wolf running at approximately 70 miles per hour… _Wham! _The doctor stumbled back a step, so fast he dropped the radar in surprise.

Jade ended up slamming sideways into a tree and hit the ground with a muffled "Ow!" Flicker perched on a branch just above her fallen friend.

"Jade! Are you O.K.?" she called.

"Yeah…" There came the response. The wolf gingerly picked herself up off the ground. The wolf-fox landed next to her.

Dr. Eggman stared down at the now useless radar, the screen cracked and blank. The back was open and different sized computer chips spilled out in a metallic wave on the dark ground. A sudden wave of anger reared up in the scientist. He spun around, ready to unleash his anger at the careless idiots that made him drop the precious radar, but he suddenly realized who _they_ were.

"Huh?! What are you two doing here? I thought you _**traitors**_ left me for that blue _**rat**__!_"

Jade bit back a snarl as she realized who it was. She opened her mouth to say something.

"_**Hedgehog**__,_ actually," Flicker interrupted quickly with a wise tone, noticing the look of fury that flew across her friend's face and trying to restrain her own fear.

Both of the girls dusted themselves off as the doctor tried to repair his radar. Once it was up and running again, it beeped uncontrollably. Suddenly the little dot froze, but it continued to beep like crazy. At that moment, the girls were still trying to figure out where the mysterious figure had gone and completely forgot that the doctor was there.

"I think she went _**that**_ way!" Flicker argued.

"**No**, she went _**this**_ way!" Jade testified.

"I'm telling you, she went _**this**_ way!" Flicker huffed while trying to drag Jade towards what she thought was the right way. The wolf stubbornly resisted.

"I'm positive she went this—" Jade broke off as she noticed Dr. Eggman staring intently at something glowing in his hands. She twisted expertly out of Flicker's grip and climbed a nearby tree. From her position she could see the radar. It was upside down, but Jade could still read it. Judging from the little dot's location, she came to the conclusion that it wasn't tracking them. So then who or what was the doctor tracking?

Sonic and Silver broke through the undergrowth. They were trying to catch up with Shadow, but it had been about 15 minutes since they had last seen him and he was moving fast. The only thing that gave them a chance to catch the black and crimson hedgehog was the short pauses he made, as he tried to figure out which way the girls had gone. The other hedgehogs finally managed to reach Shadow. They spotted him standing by a patch of purple and blue wildflowers. His back was turned towards them and he appeared to be deep in thought.

"You're fast. I'm impressed, faker," Sonic called out his usual nickname for Shadow. Whether he heard him or not, Shadow chose to ignore the cobalt hedgehog. Without warning, Shadow skated off. Sonic and Silver scrambled to keep up.

A sudden flurry of movement made Jade look up. She leaped down from her tree and eyed her surroundings warily. She almost jumped out of her fur when the guys emerged from the night. Jade relaxed, but cringed inside when she saw furious look on Shadow's face. But there was something gentler underneath. Was that…_concern_? However Jade noticed that he didn't show his concern as openly as Sonic and Silver. It was still there, though.

"Don't ever do that again!" Shadow spoke before anyone could say anything.

"We were worried something had happen," added Silver.

"You're not hurt or anything?" asked Sonic. Both girls shook their heads.

"Guys, it's ok!" Jade reassured the hedgehogs. Then, the guys noticed the doctor. Their eyes hardened and they drew themselves up stiffly, ready to fight.

Once the doctor had caught sight of the three hedgehogs standing protectively beside the girls and the five pairs of hostile eyes, he knew he was screwed.


End file.
